Christmas 2024: Bishops call for change and hope

Christmas 2024: Bishops call for change and hope

In Germany, the Catholic bishops at Christmas 2024 are faced with the challenge of addressing the depressing world situations and the latest attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market. The Limburg bishop Georg Bätzing, who is also chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, asked the Christians to actively contribute to the change in the world. In his speech, he warned of a longing for authoritarian solutions and found that the war of Russia against Ukraine and the warlike arguments in the Middle East are anything but stabilizing factors. "Much of what we believed to be reasonably certain a few months ago is Christmas as a sign of hope

In his Christmas message, Bätzing emphasized that Christmas sets a sign of hope. Archbishop of Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx encouraged the believers not to finish themselves with the status quo. "The Christmas hope is inspiration and source of strength for all people," said Marx. He called on "in the middle of violence to recognize the path of non -violence". Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne added that the birth of Jesus was a "peace offensive" that does not rely on military strength, but on love that also includes the enemy. This message is more important than ever in times of polarization and conflicts.

Especially in the context of the attack on the Christmas market, the Magdeburg bishop Gerhard Feige was called a "healing memory" and found that the festival is often associated with the desire for love and security. "The incarnation of God at Christmas" also took place in a torn world, said Feige. He asked to "cune courage" in the challenges of life and recalled that God wanted to be close to us in all needs. These demands form the core of the holiday messages that should donate consolation and confidence, as well as fnp.de determined.